ABC kiosks installed at two airports in Jamaica

Kiosks could increase passenger throughput at borders

Two airports in Jamaica have introduced automated border control (ABC) kiosks.

The ABC kiosks from SITA are in Kingston and Montego Bay and can be used by passengers visiting from any international location for immigration border clearance.

Jamaica is the first country in the Americas to allow this. Many other countries have ABC kiosks at their airports, but they have imposed limits on their use to select nationalities or members of trusted traveler programs.

15 kiosks in total have been installed at the country’s two busiest airports: Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston and Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.

Passengers of all nationalities can use the kiosks for self-service immigration. They are easy to use and the whole process takes less than 60 seconds.

How it works

  • The passenger uses their passport to identify themselves and a camera on the kiosk captures their face biometric
  • The passport information and biometric captured is then cross-referenced to verify the passenger is who they claim to be and then checked against government watch lists
  • The passenger answers immigration questions on the kiosk touch screen and once cleared is given a receipt to show as they exit the customs hall

Passengers do not need to interact with an immigration official unless there is an error or concern.

The airports bring in a combined number of nearly three million passengers each year, of which roughly 1.7 million are international visitors to Jamaica. The kiosks are expected to increase passenger throughput at the borders by almost 60%.

N.B. Image credit: sita.aero


Internet links

SITA

Norman Manley International, Kingston (KIN)

Sangster International, Montego Bay (MBJ)